By EMMANUEL OLONIRUHA, Abuja

Former Gov. Emeka Ihedioha of Imo has announced his withdrawal from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election.

Ihedioha announced his withdrawal from the race in a letter entitled, “notification of my withdrawal from the Imo PDP gubernatorial primaries”.

The letter was addressed to the National Chairman of the party and was cited by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.

NAN reports that only Ihedioha and the National Secretary of the party, Mr Samuel Anyanwu, were screened for the primary election for the Imo PDP ticket.

In the letter, Ihedioha stated that he turned 58 years on March 24 and had cause to reflect on so many things, including the state of PDP.

The former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives stated that having been a member of the party since its formation in 1998, he aligned himself with the request by PDP Imo chapter to the National Working Committee for a consensus candidate for the governorship primary.

“In the interest of harmony and unity of the party, I have elected to make the personal sacrifice of withdrawing from further participation in the processes, leading to the emergence of the gubernatorial candidate.

“This decision was not taken lightly.

“My commitment to the service of our people has never been in doubt.

“And I am sure many of those who have, on their own, already started mobilising for me will be disappointed.

“I sincerely seek their understanding and that of associates, admirers and particularly the electorate, who have over the years aligned themselves and identified with my political aspirations,” Ihedioha added.

The former governor, who was sacked in 2020 by the Supreme Court, expressed gratitude for the opportunity given to him to have served in various capacities as a legislator and governor.

“I am also proud of the positive impact I made, particularly in the seven months I served as the governor,” he said. (NAN)

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